Heading for the Hills

Ethan and I headed up towards Boone this weekend to do some mountain riding. He found this route and we decided that it would be a good ride for us since the distance was reasonable and it had some nice climbs. The first ten miles or so had a good amount of traffic but after that things died down and the route proved to be very enjoyable. There were three tough climbs and one more that was a little more gradual. Before this ride, my confidence on the bike was at an all time high. I have been riding singlespeed in the dirt for a couple of months, which automatically makes me better that people with gears, a strong showing when Ethan came to town, and being able to blow past the retirees at Umstead have fooled me into thinking that I am a pretty good climber despite my large climbing-unfriendly size (according to the BMI, my 6'-5" 215lb frame is 5 pounds overweight). Shortly after we hit the first climb on the way up Hwy 194, it was clear that my ability to conquer the Triangle area molehills means nothing for the seemingly never ending mountains that we were going to be riding. The ride up 194 was a nice long sustained climb that I was determined to do without stopping for a rest. I was able to make it to the top and prove to everyone that I am not just a man, but a man's man. We stopped at the top of this climb to catch our breath and down some gels before continuing.

Ethan at the bottom of Hwy. 194

Once we felt rested up we continued the ride through Banner Elk and started our ascent of Beech Mountain, the signature climb of the day. Beech Mountain is best known by cyclists as one of the Lance Armstrong's favorite climbs for training during his cancer comeback. On paper, the climb seems very similar to Old La Honda which I was able to do without much trouble at the beginning of the summer. Beech Mountain is approximately 1400 vertical feet of climbing over about 3.5 miles over compared to Old La Honda which is about 1300 feet over 3.4 miles or so. I was able to ascend Old La Honda in May when I didn't even have a road bike so I figured that now that I have been a roadie for almost a month I would be able to make this Mountain my Beech. I have never been more wrong in my life. Beech Mountain killed me. I had to stop several times on the way to rest and catch my breath. There were times when I could barely find the power to turn the pedals over despite being in my lowest gear and out of the saddle. I think that this is due to a couple of things; wearing myself out climbing 194 and the steeper gearing of the standard double crankset compared to the triple on the bike I rode in California. I also put a lot of the blame on Bush.

Ethan Along the Side of Beech Mtn.

One thing that I really enjoyed during this climb were the friendly motorists. Several cars passed me during the ascent and gave some shouts of encouragement as I limped to the top. I have had plenty of rednecks shout at me before but this was the first time anyone ever yelled something positive. Once I got to the top I regrouped with Ethan, who took off on his own on the way up, and we decided that a nice long rest with some lunch was in order. One of the reasons I think I struggled more than he did on the climb is the ~50lb difference in body weight. He already had the top of the mountain scouted out when I arrived and suggested that I eat a pizza when I arrived so he could maintain his advantage. We stopped at Brick Oven Pizzeria which was right at the top of the climb and split an awesome pizza. It would have been really good at any time but after that climb it tasted like it had been sent down from the heavens and really hit the spot. The staff at the restaurant was super friendly and didn't mind that we brought our bikes inside and walked around in our socks. Thanks guys.

Maddie at the Top of Beech Mtn.

After our mountain top feed session, we continued the ride with the descent of Beech Mountain. Earlier in the day the temperatures were perfect, but it was nearly 4:00 by the time we left the pizzeria and it had cooled down enough that we needed arm warmers. Once down the mountain we headed through Banner Elk and over to Hickory Nut Gap Road. This road is the gradual climb that I mentioned earlier and ended up being one of the more enjoyable stretches of the ride. It had some nice scenery and a decent bit of elevation change, but it was spread out enough that it didn't kill you on the way up. After this road, we headed past Linville and started the last climb of the day. It was another tough one that was about two miles long and some fairly steep grades. It was nothing like Beech Mtn. but provided a real challenge this late in the ride. We crested this climb at the entrance to Grandfather Mountain, which towers above all of the surrounding landscape. Once past this hill we finished the ride with a nice long stroll down Hwy. 221. This road was really pretty and had a lot of cool things like waterfalls and interesting rock formations by the side of the road. I would have liked to have stopped more for some photos but we were in a bit of a race against the clock to get back to the car before dark. Fortunately, this stretch of road was almost all descending or flat and we were able to outrun some of the cars behind us during the descents. We rolled back into Blowing Rock with only about half an hour of daylight left and a little over 60 miles for the day. Neither of us have the technology to track our climbing totals but I can believe that it was 6000 ft. like the cue sheet suggests.

In Front of Grandfather Mountian

The ride ended up being a ton of fun and I am excited about a return trip sometime in the future. It was a tough ride with some brutal sections but well worth the trip. I am looking forward to training some more and going back to dominate (or at least ride without stopping to rest) these mountains in the future. A lot of thanks go out to the guys at cyclecarolina.com for the route and to Brick Oven Pizzeria in Beech Mountain for their hospitality. Here are some additional photos from the trip.

A nice view along Hickory Nut Gap Rd.


I smoked this guy up Hwy. 194.


Ethan enjoying some pizza.


The View from a Beech Mountain Switchback.


Ethan in Front of Grandfather Mountain.


Descending Beech Mountain.


Cruising Down a Nice Country Road.


Apparently I Need Longer Armwarmers


The Two of Us at the Continental Divide.


Trying My Best To Smile at the End.
(Also, today proved that the Speedy on my chest is meant sarcastically.)